China road committee looks at two roads, parking lot & bridge

by Mary Grow

China Road Committee members spent their May 8 meeting talking about two roads and a parking lot in the northwestern end of town and a bridge in Branch Mills, on the eastern boundary.

The roads are Maple Ridge, which runs from Vassalboro northeast through China into Winslow, and Neck Road, which dead-ends on the west shore of China Lake, north of The Narrows, the water connection between the lake’s east and west basins. At their April 22 meeting, China Select Board members asked road committee members’ advice on resurfacing part of Maple Ridge and the end of Neck Road (see the May 1 issue of The Town Line, p. 3).

Director of Public Services and committee chairman Shawn Reed said ideally, a section of Maple Ridge Road through a boggy area should be rebuilt, but rebuilding would cost too much. By consensus, committee members recommended a shim coat to level and strengthen the roadway plus a surface paving coat.

They recommended the same treatment for the end of Neck Road, using for the surface coat LCP. LCP, the Maine Department of Transportation website says, means Light Capital Paving, or maintenance surface treatment, usually 5/8 inch of paving with, Reed said, extra asphalt in the mix.

The China Baptist Church parking lot near the causeway at the head of China Lake’s east basin is used by boaters and swimmers as well as church-goers. Pastor Ronald Morrell joined committee members in discussing options for improving it.

They decided the best choice, for people using the lot and for water quality in China Lake, would be to install catch basins for runoff and have the lot repaved.

The town has bids for paving the parking lot, a part of the paving bids on which select board members postponed action on April 22. Road committee members expect local contractors to bid on the installation of catch basins, to be followed by repaving.

Reed said state inspectors recently pointed out several problems with the Branch Mills bridge over the west branch of the Sheepscot River – not serious enough to close it or even to impose a weight limit, but needing attention.

The main issue is that the road surface has been repaved repeatedly without removing old paving. Weight has increased, and drains are too far below the paving and curbing not far enough above it.

Reed plans to consult with a state transportation official, seeking advice on whether to plan repairs or to start a reserve fund for a new bridge.

The present bridge dates from 1931, committee member Dale Peabody said.